1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to digital data storage, and more particularly, to a hard disk drive for use in a mobile device.
2. Description of the Prior Art
A hard disk drive provides digital data storage on a magnetic media that is accessed using a flying head that precisely floats over the media. Use of a hard disk drive in a hand-held portable device is generally problematic because the device may be subjected to fairly high shock levels. A shock delivered to the disk drive may cause the head to contact or xe2x80x9cslapxe2x80x9d the disk media surface or cause the head to move off track and damage adjacent track data during a write operation.
Accordingly, there exists a need for a relatively rugged disk drive for use in a mobile device. The present invention satisfies these needs.
The present invention may be embodied in a disk drive for use in a mobile device. The mobile device includes a host processor that accesses data on the disk drive. The disk drive has a rotating disk media and a moveable read/write head disposed over the disk media. The disk media is divided into first and second data zones that are radially disposed in discrete areas of the disk media and that each has a plurality of tracks for storing data. The mobile device may write data to the first data storage zone when the mobile device is in a mobile environment. The mobile device may write data to the second data storage zone only when the mobile device is in a non-mobile environment and may not write data to the second data storage zone when the mobile device is in a mobile environment.
In more detailed features of the invention, the mobile device is in a non-mobile environment when the mobile device is placed in a docking station and the mobile device is in a mobile environment when the mobile device is not placed in a docking station. The first data storage zone may include a mobile-safe zone and a mobile-normal zone. The mobile-safe zone may have a track pitch that is wider than a track pitch of the mobile-normal zone. Alternatively, the mobile device may write data to adjacent tracks of the mobile normal zone, and may not write data to adjacent tracks of the mobile-safe zone. The second data storage zone may include an ultra-safe zone and a docked-safe zone, and the first data storage zone may include a mobile-safe zone and a mobile-normal zone. The mobile device may read data from the ultra-safe zone only when the mobile device is in a non-mobile environment, and may read data from the docked-safe zone when the mobile device is in a mobile environment or is in a non-mobile environment. The disk drive may prevent the moveable read/write head from dwelling or moving over the ultra-safe zone when the device is in a mobile environment. The mobile-safe zone also may have a track pitch that is wider than a track pitch of the docked-safe zone and/or the ultra-safe zone.
In other more detailed features of the invention, the disk drive includes a ramp for parking an actuator arm coupled to the read/write head when the disk drive is in a spin-down mode. The disk drive may include a mobile-low-power zone that is located on the disk media so that an actuator current is minimized for moving the read/write head to a data track in the mobile-low-power zone upon loading of the read/write head over the disk media from the ramp. A distance from an outer diameter of the disk media to the mobile-low-power zone may be between about 10 and 15 percent of a distance between the outer diameter and an inner diameter of the disk media.